The web of patent lawsuits between Apple and Motorola may have just thinned out a strand. Back in January, Motorola Mobility received an initial ruling from the ITC regarding Apple's 2010 patent infringement claim, finding that it didn't infringe on the three patents in question. Now, the ITC is handing down its final determination, backing up the original finding and terminating the ITC's investigation into the matter. While this marks the end of the road for the Commission's current investigation, Apple is likely to appeal the decision to the Federal Circuit — just as it did against HTC two months ago — so this might not be the last we hear about the patents.

The three patents under consideration are: the '828 patent, which covers "ellipse fitting for multitouch surfaces," the '430 patent, which covers an "object-oriented locator system," and the '607 patent, which covers a "multipoint touchscreen." In the ITC's ruling, the judge found that Motorola's products didn't infringe on the '807 patent. The '430 and '607 patents on the other hand were found to be infringed, but a legal exception means that Motorola is off the hook. Hopefully the rumored settlement talks start to pick up some steam and everyone can put their litigation budgets toward something more productive.